1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a component system for constructing cabinets, particularly cabinets of the type that are employed when building an outdoor kitchen, although their usage is not limited to outdoors. The components system consists of specially designed brackets that are used in conjunction with concrete side panels to construct the forms for the cabinets so that the upper and lower edges of the side panels are accessible. Once the forms are constructed, then the forms can be finished in a variety of ways by applying to the exterior surfaces of the forms stucco, decorative stone, bricks, etc.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently outdoor cabinets and outdoor kitchens are constructed by first installing a form or framework for the cabinets and kitchens, then applying an exterior finish to the forms. The exterior finish may be stucco, decorative stone, bricks, or other similar masonry products.
The forms are the supporting framework and define the structure for the cabinets and kitchens. The forms are currently constructed in one of two ways.
The first way to construct the forms is to custom build the forms or framework of the cabinets and kitchen using metal studs to the homeowner's plans and to fit with the types of appliances that the homeowner intends to use. Cement boards are then attached to the metal studs with dry wall screws. The advantage of custom built forms is that they can be constructed so that they meet the homeowner's needs in terms of arrangement of cabinets and in terms of fitting with the appliances that the homeowner wishes to use. However, the disadvantages of custom built forms is that they are labor intensive to build, making installation take longer and be expensive so that custom built forms can be cost prohibitive for many homeowners.
The second way to construct the forms is to use prefabricated forms for the cabinets and kitchen. Like custom built forms, prefabricated forms are made from metal studs and concrete boards that are generally attached to the metal studs with dry wall screws. The advantages of prefabricated forms are that they can be installed quickly and are much less expensive to purchase and install than custom built form. However, prefabricated forms have certain drawbacks. One drawback to prefabricated forms is that they are constructed for use with one type of appliance or equipment which may not be the type of appliances or equipment that the homeowner would like to use. Also, it is impractical to try to customize the prefabricated forms because of the way that they are built. Because the prefabricated forms are constructed for use with a particular type or brand of appliances, the openings that are provided in the prefabricated forms will generally not fit different brands of appliances. And because the forms are constructed with metal studs, it is impractical to cut new openings in the forms as this would require different types of cutting equipment to cut both metal studs and cement boards. Also, even if the forms could be cut easily, any cutting on the forms could result in damaging to the structural integrity of the forms.
The present invention addresses these problems by providing a new cabinet component system for building cabinet and kitchen forms. The present cabinet component system employs a variety of brackets and lightweight cement side panels that can be arranged in various ways to construct the form arrangement desired by the homeowner. Further the forms can be quickly and easily built at relatively low cost. When built, the forms are strong and can be readily customized on site for use with virtually any type of appliance or equipment. Thus, the present invention allows the homeowner to have customized forms with the convenience of prefabricated cost with increased ease and speed of installation.